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Today, the Vatican press office has announced that a group of priests and seminarians from the Theological College of “Apostoliki Diakonia” of the Orthodox Church of Greece are due to visit the Vatican starting tomorrow.Why is this visit important? Because the major obstacle to achieve unity with the Orthodox is the incredible anti-Catholic animosity transmitted from generation to generation among Orthodox priests.It is true that Greek Orthodoxs do not hold the kind of animosity seen among Russian Orthodox, but it is still a significant issue.The group includes 31 mostly young priests and seminarians from the faculty of theology and other...

Tories move to heal White House rift By Alec Russell in Washington and George Jones, Political Editor (Filed: 16/02/2006) The Tories will today seek to end an extraordinary rift with their natural allies in the White House with a staunch statement of support for President George W Bush over the need to stop Iran having a nuclear weapon. At the start of a two-day visit to repair relations, Liam Fox, the Conservative defence spokesman, will tell a Washington think-tank that Britain remains America's "most reliable and effective ally". Dr Fox: coming to America In a speech to the Heritage Foundation,...

Iraq's Sunni leadership presented the majority-Shi'ite government yesterday with a 10-point ultimatum that they said would either end the violence or lead to a national strike and widespread street demonstrations. It was the first time the Sunni minority has publicly offered conditions to end a bloody insurgency that has left thousands of Iraqis dead. However, it was not clear how much control the political parties have over the insurgents, who include foreign terrorists and disgruntled former members of dictator Saddam Hussein's military. At the top of the list of demands was the resignation of the interior minister and his entire...

Osama bin Laden's offer of a truce has sunk from sight without leaving a ripple, but it should have made waves. When the audiotaped proposal was made 10 days ago, the White House dismissed it out of hand. That was a politically logical move, given the need to appear tough on terror at all times. An image of strength and determination may be particularly important in the months ahead because Republican Party leaders have put security issues at the heart of their 2006 congressional election campaign strategy. But there are reasons why bin Laden's overture should be carefully weighed and...

By now, there can be no doubt that al Qaeda's message to the West has been distilled down to two simple concepts. The first is that the terrorist group can be appeased. The second is that, if they aren't appeased, Westerners face grave consequences. The latest Osama bin Laden audiotape, released on January 19, makes these points explicit and shows how bin Laden intends to fashion his message for Western ears. In the tape, bin Laden offers a truce in return for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. "We have no objection to responding to a long...

Osama bin Laden's taped message is the strangest evidence to emerge that the U.S. is winning the "information war" with al Qaeda and is new proof that al Qaeda's famed media unit is in tatters, says Rich Miniter, author of Disinformation: 22 Media Myths That Undermine the War on Terror. (Click here to order from Amazon.) It was not long ago that the propaganda arm of al Qaeda could easily get videotapes onto al Jazeera in hours. But the new tape played on al Jazeera took upwards of five weeks to move from bin Laden to al Jazeera. Could al...

Al-Jazeera aired an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden on Thursday, saying al-Qaida is making preparations for attacks in the United States but offering a truce to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. The voice on the tape said heightened security measures in the United States are not the reason there have been no attacks there since the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. Instead, the reason is "because there are operations that need preparations, and you will see them," he said. "Based on what I have said, it is better not to fight the Muslims on their land," he said. "We do...

Israel is reconsidering its decision to break off contacts with Pat Robertson over the construction of a Christian heritage park, after the US evangelist apologized for saying Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine retribution, a spokesman said Saturday. Israel and Robertson had been close to finalizing a deal to build the multimillion dollar tourist attraction when the broadcaster said last week that Sharon had been punished by God for pulling Israel out of the Gaza Strip in September. The comments prompted Israel to call off talks with Robertson over the deal. Robertson issued an apology, which Israel accepted...

PRETORIA, South Africa - Bolivia's leftist President-elect Evo Morales extended a conciliatory hand to the United States on Wednesday, saying he forgives past humiliations and welcomes dialogue even as he believes U.S. officials may be plotting against him. Bolivia's first elected Indian leader criticized Mexican President Vicente Fox, telling The Associated Press in an interview that Fox was hostile toward him and all indigenous peoples in the Americas, including those of Mexico. Morales said he believes claims by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that the United States is plotting to overthrow Morales, but welcomes reports that U.S. officials are interested in...

Homegrown Iraqi insurgent groups are reaching out to the United States in the hope of launching a dialogue that would draw them into the political process and end their 2 1/2-year rebellion, according to U.S. officials and Iraqis close to the insurgency. Spurred by fears of the growing influence of Iran and encouraged by signals from Washington that the United States will start drawing down troops next year, insurgents who see themselves as fighting for an Iraqi nationalist cause are looking for ways to distance themselves from the religious radicals who have dominated the insurgency, with a view to establishing...

Europeans Search for Conciliation With U.S. Some States Are Assuaged By Rice on Prison Policy By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, December 9, 2005; Page A16 BRUSSELS, Dec. 8 -- European foreign ministers attempted to make peace with the United States Thursday over the controversy concerning treatment of terrorist suspects, with many saying they were satisfied with visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's explanations of U.S. policy. But lingering concerns were evident when Dutch officials said they would press to set up a prison of their own in Afghanistan so that any suspects captured by Dutch troops there...

Poland Germany clear up differences During her first official visit to Poland, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wasted no time in reassuring Warsaw that Berlin is set to soothe disagreements over history and Iraq. She also stressed her commitment to create a warmer atmosphere in relations with Poland which have been tense in recent months. Talks with Poland’s conservative Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz centred on stalled EU budget talks and relations with Russia. Poland has expressed outrage over a German–Russian natural gas pipeline deal which would run along the Baltic Sea floor, bypassing Poland. Merkel was very explicit when she told...

MOSCOW, December 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Austrian chancellor and Russian prime minister met in Moscow Friday, praising relations between the two countries and calling each other important and strategic partners, while looking toward a new document to replace the shared cooperation agreement that expires next year. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said it was time to "start a new life" and "give [cooperation] new dynamics". Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov affirmed Moscow's intention to strengthen relations with Austria, which takes over the rotating EU presidency next year. "We regard Austria as an important and promising partner in Europe," Fradkov said

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is paying her first official visit to Poland - a country she described as Germany's "second big neighbour". Mrs Merkel's appointment has been generally well received in Poland. Her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, was widely perceived as too critical of America, too close to Russia, and too focused on Germany's domestic agenda. Since assuming office last week, Mrs Merkel has visited France, Britain and Brussels. Poland was next on the list. Mrs Merkel says wants Germany to improve relations with Washington and to act as a mediator in internal EU disputes. She has said she will not...

Washington DC, Oct. 28, 2005 (CNA) - More than a dozen clerics and theologians gathered in Washington last week to consider and discuss the advancements in Orthodox-Catholic relations, in particular in the last 40 years.The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation held its 69th meeting Oct. 20-22 at Georgetown University. It was co-chaired by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati and Bishop Savas of Troas, the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Bishop Savas substituted for Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh, who is still recovering from a recent fall.Fr. Brian Daley, SJ, began the session with a public lecture entitled “Forty Years of...

Labor olive branch to Christians OPPOSITION Leader Kim Beazley has moved to soothe relations between Labor and Christian churches, linking his moral values to the fight against the Government's planned industrial relations laws. He told church leaders that a post-September 11 world had distorted the message of faith in God. The devoutly religious Mr Beazley also criticised a distortion of Christian faith which he said had occurred in the United States. "In the post-September 11 age when religion is at the centre of public fears of terrorism, we must be able to challenge the ugly, violent distortions of genuine faith,"...

NEW DELHI - Pakistan said Monday it will accept relief aid for earthquake victims from its longtime rival India, a move that carries immense political implications for the neighbors who have fought three wars. India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said his country would send tents, food, blankets and medicine to the hard-hit Pakistani portion of Kashmir. The announcement came after Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh telephoned Pakistan's high commissioner in New Delhi and "reiterated his offer to send relief aid to us for earthquake victims." High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan met Singh and then contacted the...

  A cache of IRA weapons IRA DESTROYS ITS WEAPONS  The IRA has finally destroyed all weapons used to run its 30 year campaign of murder and mayhem.  The international inspectors overseeing the weapons decommissioning are about to confirm they have supervised a full disarmament. It comes two months after the IRA said it had formally ordered an end to its armed struggle.A report on IRA decommissioning will be presented to the British and Irish Governments tomorrow.General John De Chastelain, head of the International Commission on Decommissioning, will make his findings public at a press conference later.Separate statements are expected...

Sep. 18, 2005 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that he would attempt to improve his relations with Washington, which have been rocky in recent months. "Sometimes I make mistakes, I tend to respond to any official from the government of Mr. Bush who verbally attacks Venezuela," Chavez said during a speech at a Manhattan church, his last public event in New York before heading to Cuba to meet with his close ally Fidel Castro. Chavez said the Rev. Jesse Jackson and U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., who sat with him at the church, had advised him "not to...

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf held an unprecedented meeting with leaders of the American Jewish Congress as part of his campaign to press for moderation in the Muslim world. Musharraf is the first leader of a Muslim nation which has no diplomatic relations with Israel to hold a public dialogue with Jewish leaders, officials of the Council for World Jewry said. The Pakistan military general was given a standing ovation and big round of applause as he stepped into the conference room for the meeting-cum-dinner at a leading hotel in New York. "I cannot imagine that a Muslim and that too...